The Birthday Boy Remains Unwilling
by grey
Summary: Celebrating Jet's birthday is all but easy especially when the birthday boy himself remains very much unwilling. Kind of romantic Virginia and Jet stuff basically. [COMPLETED]
1. Chapter1

Unless I'm mistaken there's a spoiler in here somewhere. So unless you've reached chapter 4 in the actual game I advise against reading any further. It's not really that big a deal but I'd feel bad unless I warned you.

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The Birthday Boy Remains Unwilling

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Chapter 1

As with any mission thorough reconnaissance was one of the cornerstones of success. Jet Enduro was well aware of this, even though he was personally more inclined toward the faster rush and attack approach when it came down to it. Something about the meticulous research that came with such work and all the sneaking around it required usually failed to appeal to him.

This, however, was a not one of those times. Today he would indeed be careful. Failure was not an option.

He had surveyed the area for nearly fifteen minutes now and so far he had seen no signs of the enemy. According to sources he had gathered the day before, various tasks should keep them busy and absent around this particular time. Regardless of this information he had decided to remain in hiding, spying the room to make absolutely sure. And sure he now was. The place was empty.

Content with the situation he rose from his place crouched by the staircase and entered the kitchen of Tesla and Shalte, the uncle and aunt of a certain Virginia Maxwell. Today he would enjoy breakfast in silent stillness and peace with no one around to bug him with unwarranted conversation or other forms of slow torture. At the very thought a silly smile spread across his face and being alone there was no reason to hide it.

Reaching inside the cupboard he fished out a white porcelain plate and went on to pour himself a bowl of breakfast cereals. He reveled in the moment, listening to the birds sing outside the window and the crackle of the cereal as he poured milk into the bowl. The atmosphere was soul soothing in every aspect. He sighed in contentment; everything was absolutely perfect.

Happiness is a fleeting thing however; it was something he should have known. Things NEVER worked out his way.

In an explosion of sound Gallows, Clive and Virginia burst through the front door. Jet dropped his spoon into the bowl, splashing milk onto the table.

"You should've been there!" exclaimed Gallows, the larger one of the trio, "She was like all over me."

"Gallows, a girl you met at the ARMs smith?" Virginia sounded skeptical, "I think you're making stuff up again."

Clive nodded his head in silent agreement.

"No way, I'm telling the truth!" claimed the Baskar with a look of shock on his face, "That's cold man, doubting me like that."

Jet remained completely still, even holding his breath, while watching his teammates approach the table where he sat. Perhaps they would walk by without paying notice to him? He kept his fingers crossed under the table.

"Jet!" Virginia called out his name unnecessarily loud.

Letting his breath go in a massive sigh, the white haired man sunk deeper into his chair. He had been discovered. It was now a fact: the morning had turned around and gone to hell, bringing his good mood along for the ride.

"It's a beautiful day outside, you should've come with me" the girl sat down by the table, opposite of him. She put her bag of groceries in front of her, then pushed it aside as it obscured her view of him.

"Well, it's too late now. You're already back." Jet muttered. He suddenly felt like crying.

Virginia ignored his sullen behavior. It was, after all, his standard mood. Instead she began chatting with Clive who pulled out a chair next to the sulking boy busy fishing his spoon out of his breakfast cereal.

"So what did you go out shopping for?" she asked looking at the gift-wrapped package he placed on the table.

"I bought Kaitlyn a birthday present" answered Clive, pride in his voice as he talked about his daughter.

"That right? When's her birthday?" wondered the Baskar sitting down on the other side of Jet.

"Actually, it's not for another two months…" the green haired man adjusted his spectacles as he spoke.

"Two months? Jeez, you're such a geek Clive" Gallows laughed.

"What's wrong with being out on time?" Clive looked confused. He couldn't understand what he'd done to trigger this amusement from his friend.

"…Ah, nothing. Forget about it."

"Two months… that's August right?" Virginia spoke thoughtfully.

Clive nodded. "That's right.

"Come to think of it," she looked at her friends one at a time, "we've known each other for a good couple of months now but we still haven't had a single birthday"

Everyone, except Jet who didn't really give damn and was busy thinking up reasons not to choke on his breakfast, pondered over her words for a moment and came to the conclusion that she was indeed right. There had been no such celebrations in their past as a team.

"My birthday is in October. So that'll be in about three months." Clive informed them.

"Hey, mine's in October too!" exclaimed Gallows, excited for some odd reason.

"And mine's in December, so there's still a while to go." Virginia told them.

After that there was a short silence during which Jet wondered if the conversation would indeed end up where he feared it would. As the noisy people around him began turning their heads toward him it was confirmed; it seemed he was about to join the conversation.

"Ah, crap…" he sighed. "What?"

"We were talking about birthdays, Jet" Virginia looked slightly concerned. She always looked like that when he was being too silent or glum, or irritable or any other way for that matter.

"I don't know mine" he was quick to answer, so much it seemed suspicious, "I wasn't really 'born' as in you know, the normal way, remember?" he tried not to sound bitter for he knew that would only work as fuel to the fire. It went so-so, which was not good enough around a certain female drifter.

"Jet…" she reached over the table and squeezed his hand gently. Jet stared at their joined hands for a moment and then at her. Why she did those things he could never understand. Was it to make him feel better? Why would it?

Everyone had turned quiet, looking at him with growing pity. Jet closed his eyes and slowly counted down from ten. There were very few things he despised more than pity. The conversation had suddenly turned into a test of restraint; and he was very close to losing his temper.

Virginia must have for once read him correctly, for she quickly hid her worry retracting her hand from his.

"How about… we decide a date right now?" she exclaimed with forced exuberance, clasping her hands together as she presented her brilliant idea. "It could be you your birthday from here on."

"That sounds like a great idea" Gallows concurred, "How 'bout it, punk?" the larger man hit his younger comrade on the back in a friendly fashion. "Your first birthday."

"I don't feel like celebrating." Jet replied plainly. He sighed, "It's not like it means anything, anyway."

"Come on." the Baskar pursued, "You've got to have a birthday. I mean, you'll get gifts! How can you say no to free gifts?!" he exclaimed with an expression of great incredulity.

"You just want an excuse to get drunk, that's all…" Jet accused.

"Hey, now that's not true at all! I resent that!" Gallows protested, donning a look of hurt.

"Whatever. I don't care…" Jet sighed, overcome by that exhausting weariness that came with arguing with his thickheaded teammates.

"Ok, so how about tomorrow? If you really don't care, you won't mind if we go ahead and hold a party, right?" Virginia had seen the chance and grasped it. If she knew him right he would never admit he actually did care.

Jet groaned. He was just about to answer when he realized the predicament he'd backed himself into. There was really only one way to answer.

"Fine! Whatever." he spat, abruptly leaving the table bringing his plate over to the sink, "Throw your stupid party. See if I give a damn!"

Virginia smiled a victorious smile, she knew better than to take his fits of rage seriously. He was like this most of the time, after all. Rather then being discouraged, she felt compelled to throw him the greatest party ever, one that was sure to get him in a better mood.

"So what kind of gifts do you want?" she inquired with honest curiosity.

Before Jet could answer, Gallows interjected.

"Oh I know what you could give him, Virginia!" he winked, a sure indication of what was to come, "A kiss!" he exclaimed with a wicked grin. "I'm sure he'd enjoy _that_!"

"Shut up Gallows!" Virginia stuck out her tongue at him and the turned back to Jet, "But… If that's what you want…" she blushed fiercely.

"All I want is some freakin' peace and quiet!" the young man exclaimed angrily, striking out with his hands, "Jeez, you people drive me crazy! I'm out of here." and with that he stormed out of the house, leaving his three friends behind.

"He didn't seem all that thrilled…" Gallows pointed out.

"It's a difficult issue for him." reasoned Clive, "Perhaps you _could_ have less blunt about it?"

"Me? What about Virginia, she started it!"

Her mind elsewhere Virginia ignored the accusations, staring at the closed front door.

"Poor Jet…" she sighed after a moment, her gaze leaving the door to rest on her hands folded in her lap.

"Jeez, don't say that!" Gallows exclaimed, "He'd kill us if he heard you."

"Still, I just wish I could make him happy." Virginia blurted out, immediately blushing as she realized what she had said and how it must have sounded, "I mean, uh, _we _could make him happy… and in a non-romantic way" she explained, which of course only made it sound more suspicious.

Gallows burst into laughter.

"Don't try and deny it, Ginny. It's clear as day you've got the hots for that sulky punk."

"What!?" she tried to sound shocked but Gallows only laughed harder. Virginia turned to look at Clive for support. The older man shrugged.

"It's actually quite obvious…" he claimed.

"Don't you worry" Gallows told her, grinning mischievously, "Let's throw him this party and I'll help you score - I mean, capture his heart."

And so the kitchen turned into a conference room, where plans were devised and decisions made. Ideas were tossed back and forth and possible scenarios looked in to, the most frequent question being: "how would Jet react?" and "Would this piss him off?"

When Tesla and Shalte returned home some time around noon Virginia was busy baking a cake, pouring all her unrequited love and some flour into the task whilst Clive was outside told to locate the soon-to-be birthday boy and prevent him from returning home in the midst of their preparations. Gallows had, as per his own request, been sent to acquire booze and other things he claimed were necessities.

"Uncle Tesla" Virginia spoke as she looked up from her cake baking and noticed her perplexed relatives, "Would you say it's obvious I have a crush on Jet?"

"What are you doing, Virginia?"

"I'm baking him a cake"

"Oh"

"Well?"

The man looked over at his wife. She nodded in affirmation, "Yes, uh, it is… noticeable." he scratched the back of his head in a display of discomfort. His wife came to the rescue.

"I'm really happy for you, Virginia" Shalte gave her niece big a hug, "This cake you are baking, is it to help you in your confession?"

"Well, no. We're going to throw him a party tomorrow." Virginia explained.

"Ah, so it's the boy's birthday?" Tesla asked.

"It will be from here on." Virginia stated, confusing her uncle and aunt whose knowledge of Jet was still rather elementary. She added some finishing touches to her questionable piece of pastry and stowed it away in the refrigerator.

Unfortunately baking and cooking had never been her forte. Growing up she had always been more into guns.

Now she would have to move on to the even more troublesome task of gift shopping. Whatever could Jet want? The only things he would ever admit to enjoy were money and loneliness. None of those made for very good birthday presents. Especially not from a girl to the guy she has a crush on. No, she would have to think long and hard and come up with the perfect gift.

If only he had wanted that kiss…

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Seems kinda lighthearted so far but I'm not entirely sure how and if the story will develop from here.

Hope you enjoyed it so far.

  


	2. Chapter2

Chapter 2

Jet kicked a pebble on the ground as he walked hands in pockets aimlessly around the outskirts of Boot Hill. It skidded across the gravel for a moment, bouncing on and off the ground stirring small clouds of dust into the air, until it finally came to rest in a small tuft of dry grass.

A variety of different sounds escaped the small village behind him and reached his ears. There was the constant low mumbling of people talking in the street, the tired groans of the old man stacking heavy wooden crates outside his store (_jeez, why didn't someone just help him?_), the barking of that big white dog outside Virginia's house and the excited hollers of playing children.

Viciously glaring back at the source the noise Jet wished he had carried something to plug his ears with.

_So much for serenity…_

They had stayed in town for almost a week now, living in the house of Virginia's relatives while recovering from a particularly troublesome mission. Seven days… that was about the longest time he'd ever voluntarily spent in one place before.

Rolling up the sleeve of his shirt Jet noticed his bruises were close to faded by now. He also had a minor cut right above his right eyebrow as proof of their struggles. It would soon be nothing but another faint scar now but at the time he received it, it had bled like hell. The blood had poured down into his eye making him literally see red.

But that was all in the past now; they had collected their pay and that always marked the end of a mission, for Jet anyway. He sometimes heard the others discussing details of past assignments but he could never quite grasp the purpose of it. When there's no money in it, what's the use of worrying?

As soon as the wounds faded so would the memories.

Next they were bound to leave for Humphrey's Peak following a request by Clive. He wanted visit his wife, Catherine, and that kid of theirs, Kaitlyn, and of course no one refused him that. Jet almost wished he had. There was a limit to all the joyous family reunion kind of dinners he would attend. He just didn't fit in at the table of Uncle Tesla and Aunt Shalte or at the Winslett's for that matter.

"Drifter my ass," the young drifter muttered to himself as no else was around, "I should be a freakin' hermit." he sat down on a grassy slope some hundred yards from the village. A gentle wind ruffled his white hair and momentarily silenced the now faint village noise.

The idea struck him as very appealing at the moment. Perhaps he was indeed in the wrong line of work? As far as he knew hermits never had to deal with bothers such as pesky teammates.

Sure, Jet was very skilled in the ways of avoiding conversations and escaping social situations, but he had also been granted the most persistent teammates imaginable. And they, that certain brunette whose name shall remain unsaid especially, were equally, if not even more, skilled in the ways of engaging him in the most stupid discussions and annoy him with strange ideas and comments of how he should behave.

Jet exhaled noisily; the things he put up with. To make things even worse he was currently quartered in Virginia's room, sharing the small space with her. As much as he wanted to believe it was just a coincidence he knew his 'friends' far too well not to suspect some sort of matchmaking scheme behind the curtains. Just the two of them, alone at night, who knows what might happen? Jet could just picture Gallows dressed up as some warped, horrible version of cupid, rubbing his grubby hands together, a smug smile on his face as he strung his bow. One arrow and then BANG! In love.

Jet shook his head. That was no picture he wanted haunting his dreams.

But man was Virginia noisy! It wasn't that she snored, she didn't as far as Jet was aware, but she had somehow gotten the strangest idea that he enjoyed midnight conversations of the pointless kind. She would keep him up for hours babbling on and on about the most trivial matters he couldn't even begin to care about no matter how hard he struggled. Not that he ever did, of course.

Well, at least her voice was pleasant, Jet reminded himself, smiling absent-mindedly. It could have been worse. It could have been Gallows.

The thought had him chuckling for a moment before he realized what he was doing.

"It is NOT funny" he told himself with great determination.

He must have done something terrible to anger the guardians in his previous life given the long punishment that was his current existence. Then again, even if there were such a thing as a previous life he probably wouldn't have lived one. He was special after all. The whole idea was that the soul is reborn in a new body, right? Well, suppose someone didn't have a soul? What then?

Jet shook his head more fiercely than he had first intended.

_Let's not go _there_ again…_

He had enough trouble as it was with this whole birthday-mess. Yes. That was how it would undoubtedly turn out: one huge freaking' mess. Of all the stupid ideas she had to come up with that one…

On a positive note, Jet thought as he watched a piece of paper sail toward him carried by a gust of wind, if he survived this birthday-thing it'd be another year until the next time. The paper landed an arms-length away. It kind of looked like a torn out page from some old book. There was writing on it and something that looked like a map.

_A whole year…_ Jet mused while reaching to pick up the page, _and by then, who knows, I might already be a hermit._

xxxxx

Virginia danced out through the front door whistling a jolly tune as she left the house. It was one of those ridiculously beautiful days that just made her want to do little pirouettes of happiness instead of simply walking.

The warm sun shone upon the ground and the people that walked it while at the same time a welcome cool breeze fought off the clamping heat that so often plagued sunny days in the wasteland. The sky was a gentle light blue with the occasional fluffy white cloud sailing peacefully by.

Looking at the birds settled on the rooftops, singing their happy songs, Virginia smiled a wide smile of contentment. She recalled similar days from her childhood before her father disappeared and her mother succumbed to the illness that would eventually be the end of her. Needless to say they were memories as fond as memories can get. Even for a drifter it was good to come home once in awhile.

Suddenly struck down by an irrational feeling of guilt Virginia stopped dead in her tracks, no trace left of the sunny smile that once played on her lips. Here she was, happily strolling around her hometown, stopping for brief chats with familiar faces simply and basking in the comfortable feeling of belonging while Jet had never once known such an experience.

It was of course silly of her to feel guilt over something that was really no fault of hers whatsoever. There was no way she could mend his past and she had had no involvement in shaping it. Still, her sunny mood dropped significantly.

Jet despised pity, she reminded herself, putting on a fake smile even though he wasn't there to see. He wouldn't want her to worry. In fact he might hate her for it and she couldn't have that, now could she?

The birthday present. She would raise his spirits with the perfect birthday present. Virginia clasped her hands together in a gesture of resolve. Her eyes set firmly on the ARMs workshop across the small space that was the town square Virginia commenced a determined stride.

She nearly tripped as she was suddenly struck by a most horrible realization. The ARMs workshop. It was really the only store in town. Except for the very necessary grocery store of course, but that was utterly useless when it came to gift shopping.

Feeling the early stages of panic wash over her Virginia closed her eyes tightly, took a deep breath and held it. She had to calm down, to keep her head cool.

_10, 9, 8, 7, 6…_

She had to consider her options.

_5, 4, 3, 2, 1_

Traveling too another town was out of the question with the party scheduled for the very next day. She briefly played with the idea of postponing the whole thing but that somehow felt wrong even though it wasn't actually Jet's birthday to begin with.

Maybe she could make him something herself? Knit something? A new scarf perhaps, to replace one of the tattered, old ones he presently wore? It was actually not a bad idea except she didn't know the first thing about knitting.

To be honest, crafts of any kind had never really been her strongest side. Just take a look at her attempt at baking hidden in the back of the refrigerator. Luckily Jet wasn't a picky eater.

Virginia sighed. It was undoubtedly a good thing that she had spent her childhood honing her marksmanship skills instead of her cooking skills. Who knows what the world might have looked like now, had she prioritized differently? But that didn't really help her right now.

_Wait a moment… _Virginia suddenly remembered their conversation from earlier. Clive claimed to have bought Kaitlyn a present. But he had never mentioned where… She would have to ask him.

Then again, maybe something ARMs related was the right thing to get, anyway? At least those were things Jet was familiar with. Getting him something like say scented candles might only confuse him. And that was not the reaction she sought to invoke.

Breaking from her present train of thought, Virginia raised an important question: What kind of response did she expect, anyway? Jet wasn't exactly generous when it came to reactions. Sometimes she found herself wondered how someone could be blessed with such a blank, emotionless face. Then again, it fit his personality.

Anyhow, the important question remained. Was she setting herself up for a massive disappointment?

She knew what she wanted. That one was easy. She wanted to see Jet smile. She wanted him to give her a tight hug as a token of his gratitude and whisper into her ear as he held her close, that he loved her gift just as much as he loved her.

Virginia blushed a deep red at the images conjured by her mind. If only…

But alas, that was nothing but plain old wishful thinking. The chances of it actually happening were about as big as Jet donating his share of the mission payment to orphans. It just wouldn't happen.

Virginia sighed. She remembered a time when she still saw him as nothing but an infuriating, uncaring outlaw, a valuable asset to the team maybe, but nothing more. When had it changed? Had he changed or was it only her image of him?

The answer probably lay somewhere in between. Jet still came off as uncaring on many occasions and his catchphrase was still an indifferent 'whatever', but the fact he was still a part of the team despite his many threats to leave spoke differently. And sometimes, albeit still very rarely, he would even try to be nice to her. Which basically meant he would actively partake in conversations, compliment her leadership skills or simply apologize when he was being an ass.

But were those subtle changes enough to explain her warmer emotions toward him? Hardly. He was still very capable of being the same infuriating, uncaring outlaw she first had come to know. That part of him she had learned to accept over time but it was hardly one of his most lovable sides.

Then there were times when he ceased scowling, when he opened up if only for a brief instant. There was always something insecure about him then, something she felt rather than saw. It made her want to hug him so bad she had a hard time restraining herself.

There were times when he would valiantly protect her in battle then only to claim he did it by reflex or simply because he thought it would be a disadvantage for the team to loose its leader. It wasn't like he really cared. Not at all. Of course, by then he was usually blushing and that was kind of cute.

_Anyhow…_ Virginia shook her head. She'd wasted enough time already. Deciding to have a look inside the ARMs workshop before she made up her mind, she quickly made it across to the wooden building by the town gates.

The air inside was still and smelled of grease and gunpowder, scents greatly familiar to any true drifter.

The ARMs smith, a middle aged man with the unfair name of Libera, looked up from his newspaper as Virginia entered. He had worked a lot on her ARMs back when she was still a resident in the village.

"How can I help you today, Virginia?" he asked as she approached the middle of the store. Before he spoke she had barely noticed him, her gaze traveling across the crates of ammunition and various other ARMs related merchandise such as holsters, cases and racks of different kinds and materials.

"Oh hi," Virginia turned to face him, "Um, I'm kind of looking for a gift for someone…it's his birthday"

"I see." Libera smiled, "Not every day I get people in here looking for birthday gifts."

"I can imagine." Virginia smiled in return. Incidentally her father had done much of his gift shopping in ARMs workshops. Well, at least for Virginia. Her mother had never been much into weapons.

The fair-haired man stroked his moustache in a thoughtful manner, looking around his small store. "Can't say I have much in the ways of gift material in here…unless you want to give him a clip of bullets or a decorative gun-rack?"

Virginia felt her heart drop. Her suspicions were confirmed. She was now doomed. "No, I'm looking for something more special than that" she managed a weak smile despite her diminishing spirits.

"I can imagine" he mimicked her response from earlier, smiling knowingly. Virginia wondered briefly if perhaps Gallows had paid him a visit earlier. The Baskar tribesman was the equivalent of a bored, middle-aged housewife when it came to gossiping.

"I might just be able to help you still" Libera claimed. "You see…" he began searching his many pockets, "…I found this a couple of days ago when I was cleaning the shop…" throwing a couple of pocket lint entangled screws from one pocket over his shoulder onto the floor he went on searching the next. "…Now where in the world did I put it?" he muttered as he repeatedly came up with no results. When he had searched the same pockets twice he finally gave up, "…I seem to have dropped it somewhere." he sighed regretfully.

"What was it?" Virginia wondered, riding a wave of anticipation.

Libera gave her a secretive look. He then looked around him to ensure they were alone in the room, an action that struck Virginia as incredibly silly considering the small size of his store. When he looked at her again he seemed about ready to share with her his most guarded secret.

"It was a treasure map"

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And so the story takes a surprising new turn...


	3. Chapter3

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**Chapter 3**

A treasure map!

Jet had already passed the halfway point to his destination, clutching the tattered piece of paper in his left hand as he ran forth. More precisely it was a blueprint of the mansion commonly known as Gob's Hideout after its latest owners the Gobs. A house that had since long been robbed of its treasures, plundered by thieves and drifters until nothing of value was left to loot.

But they hadn't seen _his _map. They hadn't found _his _treasure. Or so Jet repeatedly told himself as he hurried southward across the plains. Gob's Hideout was a plundered shell of a building that was common knowledge, but what about the hidden area underneath the house? The secret room shown on his map?

Jet wasn't a greedy person. Well he was but he disliked being labeled. Anyway, he mused, as the large mansion appeared before him, if he found jewelry he would actually consider giving something to Virginia. You know, just to see the surprised look on her face. Perhaps a golden necklace or something, whatever silly trinkets girls like. Maybe an earring or two.

_One for each ear. Now if that's greedy…_

But the rest was his! Yes, finder's keeper's as the popular saying goes. Tough luck Gallows and Clive. Teamwork will only get you so far.

He reached the front gate while ignoring that little voice inside that kept reminding him he was celebrating victory far too early. What guarantees did he have? Here he was, dreaming of gold and jewelry when the place might just as well be empty. It was a persistent voice and he would have been inclined to listen had it not been for his instincts as a drifter. There _was_ something valuable inside. He simply knew it.

The last human owner had been a merchant of some kind so it was likely that he would have kept either his money or his most valuable wares well hidden. Money was preferable but Jet wasn't picky.

Stepping out of the sun into the stale air indoors Jet stirred some dust into motion. For a brief moment he stopped to watch the tiny particles swirl in the sunlight forming ever shape shifting clouds around him.

He remembered Virginia retelling her first real adventure retrieving the town valuables from the thieving Gobs. Her uncle had scolded her back then for acting on her own and taking such a huge risk. Jet wondered if that was what his teammates would do to him.

Of course, he couldn't care less. They were a bunch of fools if they thought did. Nothing had really changed since he met them. He still cared of no one but himself. He was still the same person as he'd always been.

But then why did it feel like he was just trying to convince himself? Why hadn't he left the team yet? Why was he thinking of Virginia in the first place? Why did-

Jet sneezed once then twice.

"…Thanks" he muttered aimed at the dust and he was honestly grateful. Escaping was getting harder and harder when the questions started racking up. So much it was beginning to frighten him. What if he was someday forced to answer them?

He had already memorized the small map and could without another look locate the entryway hidden beneath the loose floorboards underneath a large bookcase on the first floor. Moving the bookcase several hardbacks tipped off their shelves and landed atop of his head. Jet accessed his own library of profanities.

Under the floorboards he discovered an old wooden hatch with heavy iron hinges and a large rusty padlock. It was a good sign. The grater the safety the greater the treasure. Also since the lock was intact one could draw the conclusion the place was still untouched by the greedy hands of his likes.

Rummaging through his pockets in search of his set of lock picks, Jet found his mind yet again wandering off to past experiences. Times when he had had more frequent use of the small needles and dirks he was now searching for. Way back before he had teamed up with Virginia and the rest of the gang.

Werner Maxwell had taught him how to be a drifter and then basically left him to take care of himself. And there were times he had been forced to turn to crime just to keep himself fed. Especially during the first months of his lonely existence after the money his mentor had left him finally had run out.

He remembered this as he spread the dirks out onto the floor before him. On more than one occasion he had stolen food and sometimes even money to buy it. Selecting the appropriate tool Jet began working the rusty lock. He wasn't particularly proud of it and even back then when he had been as most starved the food had turned to ash in his mouth. But he had only done what was necessary to survive. And done is done and remains that way no matter what you do afterwards.

_Saving the planet for instance…_

Finally the long awaited click escaped the lock mechanism the rusty padlock fell open. Putting his memories aside Jet opened the hatch and stared down into the dark chasm that was underneath. He wrinkled his nose at the unidentifiable and very ancient smell that rose up to greet him.

A dangerously corroded iron ladder bolted to the brick wall was the only means of descending.

The voice of reason inside him claimed he was crazy to go anywhere near such an unstable and unknown structure. He had informed no one of his whereabouts, if he were to disappear they wouldn't know where look. If they even bothered that was…

"Fine by me" Jet said to himself. He was no stranger to risk and danger.

The ladder looked sturdy enough.

He carefully commenced his descent, climbing down into the darkness. He didn't know how far down the ladder would bring him, the map had been rather unclear about that but it was farther that just a floor down that much he knew.

Luckily the passage widened after climbing only a few feet down making it a lot easier to move.

The air was cool and Jet even imagined he felt a draft from down below him. Fortunately the smell had already ceased to bother him. The further down he reached the thicker the darkness around him grew. Luckily he carried some matches and a torch he would light as soon as he reached the bottom.

Suddenly the speck of light above disappeared and utter blackness surrounded him in an instant. Taken by surprise Jet somehow managed to miss the next step and hit both his knees on the one above. With a surprised yelp of pain, Jet felt his fingers slip from around the metal bar. Next thing he knew he was falling. Half expecting to see his life flash before his eyes like in all the tales, he saw nothing but darkness.

_Just as well,_ he found himself thinking calmly despite the situation,_ I don't need a recap of_ that.

.

xxxxx

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Having failed in finding both Clive and Gallows Virginia walked out of Boot Hill alone.

When Libera had described to her the map he had found and then lost again she had experienced a spark of renewed hope coursing through her body and igniting her near dead spirits. Gob's Hideout wasn't at all far away. If she made good time she could be back again around dinnertime.

Also he had used the word treasure map. Jet liked treasure. Of course he only liked it for the monetary value but still, if she found something cool she might be able to talk him into keeping it. Selling off your birthday presents is kind of rude, anyway.

_If I find something cool_, Virginia refused to take anything for granted.

Just to be on the safe side she had purchased a gun holster with golden embroidery in the form of wines and flowers along the sides before leaving the ARMs workshop. It was a dull and predictable gift, she was painfully aware of that but what could one do with such limited options? And not to mention such a difficult person to pick gifts for?

Jet didn't even need a new holster. As far as she knew his present one was still in good condition. Come to think of it: the golden embroidery would only look strange with the rest of his gear.

"Argh" Virginia groaned, "Why did I have to rush things?" Boot Hill had disappeared behind her now and she figured she would soon spot the large mansion, "I just had to say tomorrow…" she went on berating herself.

She felt a lump in her throat. She was placing a lot on this one card. What if the secret, hidden treasure room was empty and she could only present to him her horrible, silly, golden embroidered backup present? What then? Would he laugh at her? Would he be disappointed? Angry?

Virginia shook her head violently. She wasn't being very realistic. Why would Jet get angry over something as silly as a birthday present? He was more likely not to care at all, which was bad enough. And how could he be disappointed? He'd never celebrated a single birthday before.

As for the laughing…well, Jet hardly ever laughed.

Of course, what if Clive and Gallows presents were far greater than her was? As much time as they had spent discussing the whole thing no one had mentioned any ideas concerning possible gifts. Given the situation, she tried to convince herself, it was highly probable they were faced with the same problems she was, but then again, for them the stakes weren't nearly as high. They could just give him whatever crap they'd bought and get it over, only hoping he wouldn't remember when their birthday came along. Whereas she wanted to leave a lasting impression, give him something great that matched her growing feelings for him.

Again, she tried to remind herself she was getting her hopes up too high. Never in a thousand years would a single present be enough to make Jet fall in love with her anyway. Yet she couldn't help but put a lot of weight on the coming day. She wanted things to be perfect even if Jet couldn't care less. She had to somehow make him understand how much she really cared.

Quickening her pace Virginia soon broke into a sprint. She just couldn't wait any longer. The uncertainty of everything was near choking her. Why and when had she developed feelings for him? If it was so evident everyone could see it, how come she herself hadn't been aware of until just recently? Had Jet noticed? Was her search for the perfect birthday present all in vain? Would he reject her just the same?

Virginia hated to admit it but that was actually the most probable scenario. She despised such pessimism but was momentarily unable to view the situation in any another light. Jet wasn't going to admit his feelings for anyone in the near future. Hell, she wasn't even sure he had feelings.

Ok, maybe that was taking things a bit too far. He had been angry on occasion. Angry and bitter.

Virginia sighed. And that was the guy she had a crush on.

_Then again, there's a difference between not admitting one's feelings and rejecting somebody else's,_ another part of her claimed, a part that still clung to whatever hope she possessed. _I'm not one to give up easily, am I?_

She shook her head with new resolve. She sure wasn't.

Things weren't all bad. For one thing she never had to worry about competition: Jet paid even less attention to other women. In fact, now that she thought of it, she was the number one receiver of his attention. No one had spent as much time with him as she had. Well, except maybe for her father but that was a different story.

Anyway, if anyone deserved his affections it was her.

Slightly dizzy from her quick mood changes Virginia suddenly became aware that she had approached Gob's Hideout without even noticing. The house looked as desolate as ever looming over her as she approached the entrance.

She had only been there once more since her run in with the Gob's in her very early drifterhood when they were searching for the guardian lords. The place hadn't changed at all.

A deep breath of dust triggered a sneezing fit as soon as she took her first step inside. Virginia stopped in her tracks. On the dusty floor she could see a clear path leading off to the room on her left. Incidentally that was where she was headed. Could it be someone was already here? Libera had claimed he had dropped the map somewhere…

Someone must have found it!

Tracing the dust free path Virginia soon found herself standing by the dark opening in the floor, staring at the rusty, unstable looking ladder. A couple of books lay scattered on the floor beside the removed floorboards.

Someone was down there, stealing whatever possible birthday gifts she had meant for Jet. Virginia felt an unreasonable anger rise from within. At that moment it didn't matter to her that whoever was down there had the same rights to be there as herself. Those were her gifts. This had been her last ray of hope.

Grasping hold of the chill metal bars Virginia lowered herself down into the darkness. No time to worry over the questionable stability of the rusty excuse for a ladder. She would have a talk with the person down there. They could surely reach a deal over the treasure. If there was any to begin with.

Suddenly the ladder shook and she could hear the pained yelp of someone far below her.

.

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I realize there hasn't been a great deal of character interaction or any kind of action in these last two chapters. But the winds of change are approaching. I can feel it. Please don't loose hope.


	4. Chapter4

.

**Chapter 4**

_What if I had been 'born' a small child instead of a young man?_ He observed the question as if it was written in thin white letters floating around in the sea of darkness around him.

Not a great many people in the world could ask themselves such a question. Still, Jet didn't feel much pride over his uniqueness.

But despite all his resentment toward any form of dwelling on the past he couldn't deny the fact it was an intriguing question. What if…

Might Werner have stayed with him then? Raised him? Probably not. The man had been nothing more than a ghost even back then.

Still, someone might have stayed with him. If he had been a small child he couldn't have been expected to take care of himself, could he? Instead of being alone all the time he might have had a family and a childhood like the one Virginia always enjoyed talking about.

How different would he have ended up? Better or worse?

Jet slowly became aware of the strangest sensation of a feather light touch stroking the side of his face. It had a soothing effect and he found himself actually enjoying the tender caress. Was this the way a mother might caress her small child or the way a lover might touch the receiver of her affection? He had experienced neither and had no way of telling.

And what was this, anyway? A dream? It didn't feel like one…

His eyes remained closed for a moment but shot wide open when he remembered where he was, or should be anyway.

The sight of Virginia watching him from above greeted him. Her face was lit by the orange shine of a torch burning somewhere beside him. He could actually see the flame reflected in her large blue eyes.

He noticed the hint of a smile playing upon her lips despite her otherwise obvious worry. Still in a half dream like state Jet marveled at the sheer beauty of every small little detail of her face. Her eyes especially. He couldn't help but wondered if they'd always been so blue.

If she was there it had to be a dream.

"Are you ok, Jet?" she sounded anxious. He watched as she pushed some of the free locks of brown hair that fell down toward him behind her ear. A few strands broke loose and fell right back again. Somewhere in the back of his head a voice wondered how it would feel to touch that hair, caress it just like she had caressed his face just moments earlier.

It couldn't possibly be a dream. His dreams weren't usually this pleasant.

Judging by his upside-down view of her and the soft support he felt under the back of his head, Jet suddenly came to the terrifying conclusion he was laying with his head cradled in her lap. Quickly shooting up from the embarrassing position he winced as he was rewarded by a dull, throbbing pain in the back of his skull. It sure as hell didn't feel like a dream.

"Jet?" Virginia still sounded worried.

"I'm fine" he half-lied, resting his forehead in his hands clasping his eyes tightly shut.

"It was so scary!" the girl suddenly exclaimed, "I found you lying on the ground and I - and I lifted your head 'cause I didn't want you to lie on the… on the ground. But then I remembered you're not supposed to move people who've fallen and hurt themselves. And I thought I'd killed you…"

Jet turned around to face her feeling his headache slowly subside.

"You know, somehow I always figured you'd be the end of me" he told her.

"That's not funny!" she exclaimed.

He shrugged. Humor is such an individual thing.

"…But you know," when she spoke again her tone had shifted toward her usual playfulness, "you looked really cute when you were unconscious. Like you were sleeping." she smiled fondly in remembrance.

"Jeez, thanks for worrying…"

"But I did!" Virginia exclaimed, "I was really worried! Don't ever do that again."

"Fall off a ladder? Thanks Virginia, I would have done it again right away had you not said that. You really saved me there." Jet stood up slowly testing the stability of his legs. They seemed just fine but he noticed a slight stiffness in his neck. Virginia tried to follow but her own legs seemed to give away under her weight and she fell back again. "What's wrong with you?" he asked sounding perhaps a bit too gruff.

"…They're asleep" the girl replied rubbing her legs.

"Jeez, how long have you been sitting there?" and how long had he been out cold, anyway?

"I don't know. Fifteen minutes, maybe." she replied indifferently.

Looking around the small space Jet took notice of a couple of wooden crates stacked up against a corner. They were really the only objects in the room.

"What's in those? I suppose you came here for the treasure too, right?" he wondered.

"Yeah, but I haven't had look around yet." she had removed her shoes and was busy massaging her numb feet, "You really scared me you know…" she muttered again.

"You told me already." Jet replied, "Just put you're shoes back on," he sighed, "you'll never get better that way. Here." He offered her his hand, patently waiting as she tied her shoelaces.

After pulling her up from the chill earthen floor he reluctantly let her lean against him as they walked around in a small circle trying to get the feeling back into her legs. Virginia clung to him tightly, wrapping both her arms around his. The closeness alone made her feel a lot better.

"Thanks" she said after a moment, "I'm better now"

Jet didn't reply and it took her awhile before she realized she was still clinging to his arm. She let go and turned away to hide the blush on her face. Jet walked over to the crates by the corner. There were two piles: one consisting of only two crates that reached about waist-high and another one of twice the height. Jet began working on the top crate in the smallest pile. It was nailed tightly shut.

"So, I guess you must've found the map?" Virginia asked after a brief silence.

"Yeah." he replied running a hand through his unruly, white hair. He winced visibly as he brushed over the bump on the back of his head. "How do you know about it?" he muttered a silent curse as he caught a large splinter from the wooden box in his index finger.

"The ARMs smith told me about it"

"Oh" the lid finally gave away and Jet removed it from the box. He stared at the contents for a moment without uttering a sound.

"Well? What's in there?" Virginia wondered walking over to have a look. Biting her lip as she thought of how her plans were royally screwed now that Jet was there. How was she now going to find him the perfect present?

"Cheese" Jet said. His voice was steady and emotionless.

"Cheese?" she repeated, "…Is that good or bad?"

"What the hell do you mean good or bad?" he sounded a trifle annoyed.

"Do you like cheese? Is it expensive cheese? I don't know." Virginia shrugged. Taking a look over his shoulder she saw it; the pale, faintly greenish mass with islands of fuzzy mold covering parts of the surface laying in the center of the open crate. Packed around it was something that looked like hay, although she wasn't completely sure if it was.

"Of course it's bad!" Jet near shouted, "It's freakin' old cheese!" needless to say he was very annoyed by now.

"Can't we sell it then?" Jet had already began frantically tearing at the next box by the time Virginia asked the question. He wasn't very pleased to find the same contents in there as well.

"Virginia" his voice oozed of some sort of fake patience, "how long has it been since anyone lived here?" Virginia opened her mouth but Jet silenced her by holding up his hand, "Except for the Gob's." he added. Virginia closed her mouth again and thought for a moment.

"I don't really remember…" she then said, "somewhere between five to eight years, maybe"

_Wow, this cheese is almost as old as me,_ Jet couldn't decide whether to weep or laugh at the stray thought. He pushed it aside for now.

"Nobody in his right mind would eat eight year old cheese" he claimed with certainty.

"Are you sure? Maybe it's like wine? It gets better with age?" Virginia tried.

"Well don't let me stop you then" Jet didn't bother opening anymore boxes after the fourth one. They all smelled of moldy cheese. "Go ahead, eat! I'm getting the hell out of here."

.

xxxxx

.

Leaving the 'treasure' behind the two young drifters scaled the ladder and emerged out of the hole in the floor they had entered so full of hope and purpose now completely drained of any such feeling.

Virginia looked at the holster in which the Airget-lamh rested on Jet's back with growing self-pity. Its overall good shape and obvious high quality mocked her and the present that lay covered in colorful gift wrapper hidden underneath her pillow back home. He really, really, really didn't need a new one.

She sighed despairingly. Trying to convince herself it wasn't such a big deal wouldn't work. In fact any kind of logical approach to the matter seemed to fail. All she could see was Jet's disappointed face when he opened the gift. His first ever birthday present: a complete disappointment.

'_I had higher expectations of you Virginia…'_

Neither of them had said much during their climb and the silence continued as they stood above ground again, gathering their thoughts and watching the fading daylight filter through the grimy windows illuminating otherwise invisible dust particles floating around the room.

Nearby the floorboards creaked unnaturally loud. Both drifters turned their head at the sound just in time to catch two unfamiliar men of very different size entering the room.

"Well, well, well" the shorter man said upon seeing them. The handkerchief that covered the lover part of his face fluttered as he spoke. On his belt he carried an ARM. "What have we here?" he used one of the standard villain opening lines. It was usually meant as a rhetorical question so no one answered.

"Who are you?" Virginia asked, her hands discreetly hovering over her own ARMs.

The question seemed to please the little man greatly. So much it was apparent even though his large smile was covered under the handkerchief. Jet noticed this with worry, he desperately hoped the man wouldn't be one of those talkative, preacher-wannabe kind of thieves.

"Me and my associate here," he nodded toward the larger man with the scar across the bridge of his nose beside him, "are what you might call treasure hunters. But let me just say before I continue that I have no illusions regarding our trade. We are really nothing but dangerous criminals and should you stay in our way you will most certainly end up dead." the man took a brief pause to examine the two young drifters. Much to his surprise neither of them appeared particularly frightened by his threats. In fact, the white-haired boy looked nothing shy of bored and the girl seemed to be looking more at him than at them. He cleared his throat in an attempt to gain their attention, "Anyway, in our possession until just recently we had an interesting blueprint of this place but regretfully my big friend here lost it while we were restocking ammo in that cute little town just around here. What was it called again?"

"Boot Hill" his larger companion said in a deep, thundering voice.

Jet yawned loudly. The story was already getting far too long. No one seemed to notice his blatant signal of boredom and he steadily grew more and more annoyed.

"Yes, anyway" the smaller man's voice was becoming a steady drone in his ears, "We had lost this map and we couldn't seem to remember just how it had looked. So we've been searching this place for a couple of day's now until you two youngsters came and gracefully showed us where we should have been searching all this time. We were way off, let me tell you." he took a deep bow to express his gratitude. When he straightened himself again the ARM, a rifle with a pistol grip and a short 12 inch barrel, was in his hand and he had released the safety.

"So what's down there?" his friend the bulky man nodded toward the hole in the floor. He carried an insanely large and unwieldy cannon over his shoulder. It was about the same height as the smaller man and probably weighed three times as much.

"Boxes of cheese." Virginia told him.

"Cheese?" he looked very confused for a brief moment, "What are you, a comedian? Did you really think we'd fall for that?" he looked over at his smaller friend as if to make sure if they did or did not fall for it.

"But there really is-" Virginia started.

"Tons of gold and jewelry." Jet finished for her.

Virginia took aim and brought her foot down very hard on Jet's.

"What are you doing!?" she whispered very loudly into his ear. He ignored her, staring at the two different sized treasure hunters/dangerous criminals.

"Just as I suspected." The smaller man with the handkerchief went on speaking. Jet felt his patience slip away like fine sand between his fingers. The man had a very annoying voice, "well then, me and my friend here will be takin' that." he paused there and thought for a moment, "…and the lady too." he added.

"What!?" Virginia stomped her foot down again. Jet's was still underneath. Nobody noticed but he had developed a worrying tic under his right eye.

"So we can demand a ransom" the little man somehow felt compelled to explain, "Like I said we're treasure hunters _as well as_ dangerous criminals." he sounded as if that was something worth being very proud of. The scarred man grinned a wide grin and displayed a set of teeth that was really more a set of gaps.

"You wouldn't get any money. No one likes her" Jet said. Virginia glared viciously at him. He gave her a half-hearted just-trying-to-help look. She reminded herself to hurt him later.

"Okay…" the handkerchief-man looked over at his buddy 'scar-face'. "So, uh…" He didn't really know what he was supposed to say anymore, "What are you going to do about it?" that was good. He made sure to flaunt his ARM as he spoke for good measure.

"I don't know…" Jet replied dully, "we have these guns so I thought you know, maybe we could have a shootout or something you stupid, ugly piece of human garbage! What the hell do you think!?" the two men nearly jumped at the unexpected explosion of anger.

"W-What's wrong, Jet?" Virginia whispered beside him. She hesitantly put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm freakin' pissed off that's what's wrong!" Jet growled, "Today's been a shitty day and now I'm freakin' out!" he brushed her hand off, "And no you can't have the lady and you can't have the cheese. It's my cheese now, what are _you _going to do about it!?" he took a threatening step toward the two very confused outlaws.

"…I think he's crazy." the scarred man stage-whispered to his little friend. "And didn't he say there was gold down there?"

Jet released the safety on his Airget-lamh.

Crazy? Yes, very much so.

.

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I don't know crap about guns. Don't know how to describe them, don't know what to call them. Then again maybe it's not that important...

The word cheese is mentioned 12 times in this chapter (actually, 13 if you count this sentence). It might not be a record but I'm still proud.


	5. Chapter5

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**Chapter 5**

"You're going to regret this…" the shorter man warned. The barrel of his ARM as well as the threat was aimed at Jet but the young drifter didn't miss the fact he sounded far too unsure for his big words.

"Quit babbling, ugly! Let's start already!" Jet responded in impatient annoyance.

He then moved with such speed Virginia didn't even understand what had happened until she saw him land, boots first, in his opponent's face. A terrified sound escaped the man's throat as he went down.

To his credit the short man somehow managed to twist Jet's ankle and trip him as the two hit the floor with a loud thud.

Virginia snapped out of her momentary awe as she saw the larger man, dubbed "scar-face" by herself, raise his heavy cannon toward her. It looked almost like the cannon of the Sandcraft she thought as she watched his finger on the trigger. Leaping aside in the last moment she caught some splinters in her hair as the wall behind her disintegrated from the massive blast. Her own ARMs blazing as she sprinted in a wide circle around the heavy built man, she managed to put a bullet in his shoulder. A low grunt escaped his lips but he didn't so much as sway. A second bullet ricocheted off the barrel of his massive ARM and his aim was momentarily thrown off.

"You bastard!" his smaller companion sputtered as he stood up from the floor. He tore the handkerchief from his face and spat a few teeth onto the floor. "I'm going to kill both of you!" he exclaimed, his eyes darting wildly around the room.

Jet, however, didn't allow his opponent much time to realize his threat. All the man saw was a quick blur of movement in the corner of his vision and then his already aching cheek bone made sudden contact with a certain drifters fist. He staggered backward and received another blow in the abdomen. Doubled over in pain and his teeth (save the few that were on the floor) gritted together in a mad grin the man raised his rifle and began emptying the clip into the ever-moving blur he assumed was his victim turned assailant. Somewhere beside him his partner in crime, the bulky man known as Hector to his friends and "scar-face" to his newer acquaintances was blowing holes in the walls trying to get the female drifter.

A bullet graced Jet's cheek and tore open a shallow gash across the side of his face. Blood ran from the wound and entered his mouth as he reached over, grabbed the firing ARM and pushed the weapon upward. Another bullet graced his shoulder and tore a hole in the red scarf flowing behind him before he completed the movement.

Pieces of the ceiling rained down upon them until the handkerchief-man, if you really could call him that sans handkerchief, finally ran out of bullets.

_His ARM's modified all right,_ Jet thought in the back of his head as he pushed the muzzle of his own ARM, still unused and fully loaded, into the face of his opponent. Virginia had now disappeared into the next room and "scar-face" had followed her causing plenty of collateral damage along the way.

"Tell your buddy to stop shooting!" Jet bellowed over the explosions.

"H-He won't listen! Once he starts shootin' there's no stoppin'. Please don't kill me…" the man was trembling, staring cross-eyed into the barrel of the Airget-lamh. Jet frowned.

"You wait here" he said and skillfully rendered the man unconscious with a single punch, "If he hurts the girl I'll kill you both."

Almost instantly after his announcement another explosion rang in his ears followed by the scream of a woman. Jet felt his blood turn to ice and he froze on the spot, his eyes widened to an extreme. Was that…Virginia?

_No!!_

He broke into a frantic run. Stumbling over some debris scattered on the floor his knee suffered a heavy blow. Completely oblivious to the pain Jet rushed through the doorway and into the next room.

In amidst the general wreckage of the once tidy room lay the mountain of a man that had been her opponent. His knees were pulled up underneath his chin as he had curled up in a fetal position. He was covered in fragments of the piece of ceiling his last shot had obliterated.

Beside him Virginia had just kicked the large cannon away from them and Jet watched it roll across the floor until it came to rest against a pile of rubble that had once been a wall.

She was unharmed! Jet found his eyes drawn back to the young girl standing beside the defeated giant.

_Virginia's all right!_

Before that day he had never known relief so very intense and he didn't quite know what to make of it. For a moment he could only stare at her, silently debating how or if to express the very foreign emotions stirring inside of him. Virginia finally took notice of his presence and he had to say something.

"…What happened to him?" he managed to ask, in the end forcing himself to simply ignore the maelstrom of feelings that had yet to settle down. Virginia was safe. For a moment there he had thought…

"I kicked him where you're not supposed to kick a guy" she replied happily "or supposed to, I don't know. Depends on how you see it, I guess."

"But I thought I heard a woman-" Jet began.

"Please don't let her hurt me any more..." the large man cut in. His voice was nothing but an unnaturally high-pitched whimper. He appeared to be crying as well.

"Ah" Jet said. Everything was suddenly very clear. If anything will make a grown man shriek like a girl it's a well-placed kick in the privates. He felt a natural urge to pity the man, any man who met such a tragic fate, but in the end he said nothing. The guy _had_ tried to kill Virginia, after all. He had it coming.

Glancing up from the sobbing giant he caught her staring warily at him.

"Don't worry," he told her, "I'm done freaking out." as a matter of fact he was actually feeling more relaxed now than he had done the whole past week. There's nothing quite like a short lapse into insanity to relieve you of your tensions. It's good exercise for the mind and the body.

"You're hurt!" the girl suddenly exclaimed, her eyes widening at the realization. Her caution completely forgotten, she hurried over to examine the wound.

"Huh?" at first Jet didn't know what she was talking about, then he remembered the graze on his cheek. "Oh, that? It's just a scratch" he shrugged.

"How can you say that?" Virginia sounded upset, "Another inch to the left and you'd be dead!" she pulled a tissue out of her pocket and began cleaning the blood off his face.

"Whatever…" Jet sighed, squirming as she worked the tissue around the shallow graze.

"Don't say that…" she nearly whispered and he was taken aback by the distraught in her voice, "If you died…" she retracted her hand from his face letting it fall down to her side. Staring down at her feet for a moment she felt unsure of how to continue. "I…I'd cry." she closed her eyes tightly shut as if she was afraid the mere thought of it might cause her to weep, "I would be so sad I…I don't know what I'd do…" she finished somewhat awkwardly. Could Jet relate to this, she couldn't help but wonder. Or was it all foreign to him?

When she finally dared a hesitant glance up at him, Virginia found him watching her with an undecipherable, somehow distant look on his face his. They stared into each other's eyes for the longest time and all she could think of was how badly she wanted him to understand.

Then suddenly becoming aware of how close they stood Virginia felt her heartbeat quicken dramatically. She tried to look away for she could already feel herself blushing, but found her muscles unwilling. His intense violet eyes showed no sign of shying away.

Slowly Jet finally opened his mouth to speak and Virginia didn't even dare to breathe.

"…Do you have a Band-Aid or something?" he wondered.

.

xxxxx

.

Limping back into the room where the smaller man still lay unconscious Jet marveled at the complexity of women. Virginia had stomped on his foot again. Hard. It had NOT been the expected reaction. Somehow his request for a Band-Aid must have had insulted her. He had always been very good at insulting people but never could he have imagined he was _this_ good.

Perhaps he ought to listen more attentively the next time Gallows went on a rant on the subject of women. He usually did a couple of times every week, anyway. But then again, maybe he wasn't as adept with the opposite sex as he claimed to be. At least if you were to believe Virginia, and why shouldn't you? She was a girl after all. Hell, even to Jet, whose experience on the subject was only greater when compared to less than none, some of his ideas seemed kind of skewed.

No, he would have to look for a more suitable mentor. Perhaps Clive would do? The man was married after all. He ought to know something.

While he was pondering these things Virginia entered the room behind him, still pouting. She was muttering something about the moment being ruined although Jet wasn't quite sure what she meant by that. He had a feeling it had something to do with the Band-Aid incident but he still couldn't figure out why such a natural and harmless question had triggered such aggravation in his female companion.

Then, right after she had brutalized his foot, Virginia had gone on to silently bandage his wounded shoulder and carefully applied the Band-Aid she had indeed been carrying to his cheek. Jet shook his head; women truly were a mystery.

The two of them had tied up "scar-face" in the other room with some drapes borrowed from the windows and a lengthy lamp chord they had saved from the rubble of a collapsed wall. He wasn't likely to brake free any time soon. Next up was his smaller friend.

Jet made the mistake to blink and found himself having to struggle in order to force his eyes open again. Sleep would come easy tonight if only he could ever get home…

"With my luck there's probably not even a bounty on them…" he muttered as Virginia walked up beside him.

"Thinking about money, are we?" she asked with a smile, the anger from before forgotten, "Well of course you are…" Jet scowled and Virginia giggled heartily. Her giggle was soon brought short by a tired yawn. She realized how tired she really was. "Hey, Jet?" she asked innocently, "will you carry me home?" she stretched out her arms toward him, making sure to wear an expectant look on her face.

"You carry me…" Jet muttered and went on to tighten the last knot around his ex-opponents legs. At his current state of fatigue he didn't find the idea all that bad.

He waited for her to stop laughing before he spoke again.

"Let's go," he said, "we'll send the sheriff to get them"

"Is that ok?" Virginia wondered. "What if they break free?"

Jet shrugged. He was really too tired to worry anymore.

"Well, with any luck they might come back and crash the party tomorrow…" he started walking toward the door.

"You really…hate the idea that much?" her question stopped him before he reached the exit.

"I don't hate it." Jet said sending her a glance over his shoulder, "I just think it's a bad idea that's all. It's wasted on me, you know." he sighed, "It's not really my birthday… and even if it was I doubt I'd choose to celebrate it."

"Why? 'Cause you'd rather not have been born? Is that it?" Virginia couldn't help herself. For someone who preached the importance of letting go of the past he sure seemed to have a hard time letting go of his own. Then again, his past was quite extraordinary…

"I never say that." the boy replied dully, "Jeez, do I come off as suicidal, or something?" he turned around to fully face her, looking somehow amused in a humorless way. "I'm glad I was born," he paused for a moment with a distracted look on his face. Virginia wondered what he was thinking, "or whatever you'd call it in my case, what I don't understand is what you got to do with it. Why do _you_ wanna celebrate _my _birth? An ungrateful guy like me?"

"That's what friends and family do." she met his gaze with an unwavering stare, "In case you haven't noticed I care a lot about you," she was tempted to stop there but added: "we all do." which was of course true but made her seem less special. "I just want you to be happy but I guess that's wanting too much. We'll just call the whole thing off if that's what you want." she started walking toward the door while silently praying that wasn't what he wanted.

_Please say something!_ her minds voice screamed. Of course it was nothing Jet could hear.

As she passed him he was still staring forward at the spot where she had stood moments earlier, his mouth a thin line. She felt her own eyes brimming with tears. How could be so cold? She only wanted to do something nice and he refused to accept it?

"Virginia" the sound of Jet's voice broke the silence. She whirled around to face him. He was still standing with his back to her one hand resting on his forehead as if he was fighting off a migraine, "…what am I supposed to do tomorrow?"

"What do you mean?" she asked in a quiet voice, she didn't want to get her hopes up.

"I've never been to a birthday party before, let alone been the center of one. Am I supposed to dress up? Do I wear a special hat or something? I don't know."

For some time Virginia could only stare at him. Then, despite great efforts, she couldn't keep from laughing. Jet turned around at the sound, he didn't look very amused.

"Forget I asked" he muttered.

"N-no" Virginia struggled to subdue her laughter, "I'm sorry. It's just…You sound so…I…" she tried to explain but failed in forming a complete sentence. "Thank you, Jet." she smiled sweetly.

"I'm only doing 'cause of you, though. Remember that." Jet said before he realized what that implied. "I mean-"

"That's so sweet!" she cut him off before he could modify his statement, "It means a lot to me, thank you" she looked about ready to hug him.

"Uh…" Jet said.

"You don't have to do anything." Virginia told him, with that strange affectionate smile that made him uneasy, "Just look happy when you get your presents." a cold feeling of insecurity came over her as she remembered her own disastrous purchase, "Especially when you get mine, ok?" she whispered looking down at her feet.

"Well, I guess that doesn't sound too hard…" he said with familiar indifference.

Virginia smiled even wider. "Thanks" she said again.

Jet shrugged, "Whatever."

The two started off toward the exit but before they left the room Virginia turned around to take one last look at the resulting carnage from their little treasure hunt. She couldn't help but marvel at the coincidences that brought her and Jet together in that dark cellar far underground. And let's not forget the unlucky outlaw duo who showed up just in time to experience Jet's wrath.

The whole thing was actually quite funny when you thought about it.

"So much trouble over a little cheese, huh?" she said letting her gaze traveled over the devastated room once more.

"Don't," Jet said at the mention of that certain dairy product, "don't remind me."

.

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Next: the birthday (finally).

I'd say about two more chapters to this story.


	6. Chapter6

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**Chapter 6**

Dancing on the verge of awareness, not quite asleep yet far from awake, Jet briefly wondered what it was stirring next to him. The movement stopped before he was conscious enough to think more of it and soon he heard nothing again but the peaceful sound of his own breathing. Oddly enough the sound seemed to originate from somewhere close beside him.

For a brief moment there he had thought he was back in the secret cellar of Gob's Hideout, lying unconscious sprawled out on the floor. But as he slowly began registering the song of birds from outside Jet realized it had been nothing but a dream. A particularly horrible one at that, detailed down to the pungent smell of moldy cheese.

Again he became aware of movement beside him as if someone or something was pressing close against the side of his body. Then something small moved under the sheets brushing past his stomach and finally coming to rest on his chest.

Just as it was finally dawning to him that something strange was afoot someone knocked on the door and the haze of sleep cleared from him in an instant.

Gallows peeked inside.

"I know somebody whose birthday's today…" he sang knowing it would annoy the person in question. He came to an abrupt halt, however, as he laid eyes upon Jet.

_What gives? _Jet thought. The Baskar was never this easy to shut up. Come to think of it, he hadn't even tried yet.

"Well I'll be damned!" Gallows suddenly exclaimed in honest amazement, "Looks like you've already started celebrating" a wide and very unsettling grin appeared on his face.

"What?" Jet wondered. His eyes followed Gallows line of vision to the place beside him where Virginia's head emerged from underneath the sheets. She yawned and tried to move even closer to him something that was really no longer possible. Her delicate hand upon his chest loosely clutched the fabric of his shirt.

"Congratulations, man. I didn't think you had it in ya." Gallows laughed. Jet couldn't speak even if he wanted to and his eyes were round as dinner plates staring at the sleeping girl beside him and then back at the highly amused Baskar tribesman. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? You two obviously need some time alone." he winked as disappeared behind the closed door.

He could be heard snickering on the other side.

Jet returned to stare at Virginia. Even in her sleep she wore a big smile on her face as if she somehow knew what was going on. Had she been there when he fell asleep yesterday?

"W-What are you doing in my bed?" he finally managed to stutter. When he tried to remove her hand from his chest her grip on his shirt instinctively tightened.

The girl slowly opened her eyes at his voice. She seemed only mildly surprised at the situation and not at all displeased.

"Your bed?" she yawned again, looking around, "I thought it was mine" she smiled sheepishly but couldn't hide the fact she was blushing too.

"And you didn't find it at all strange that I was sleeping there?" Jet wondered. He tried to remember the night before but couldn't really recall much more than entering the room and by that time he had already been half asleep.

Virginia was busy rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She had finally let go of his shirt, "I don't remember." she claimed. "I was really tired when we got back yesterday. I must've fallen asleep on the spot"

"Apparently" he muttered moving away from her. Glancing discreetly under the sheets he noticed with relief that they were both next to fully clad.

_Relieved? Are you sure? _an inquisitive voice inside him wondered. Jet shook his head; he would not go there. He was NOT Gallows.

"…Are you mad?" the girl asked tentatively after silently watching him shy away.

"Not mad, just surprised." Jet replied, _and way too tired for this shit,_ he added in his mind.

"Not used to waking up next to a beautiful girl, eh?" she teased.

"What beautiful-" he caught himself. He remembered the large, scarred man lying on the floor crying.

_"I kicked him where you're not supposed to kick a guy" _she had said.

Jet shuddered. He did NOT want to anger Virginia.

"What's that?" she asked, her blue eyes narrow slits glaring at him from where she sat on the mattress.

"Nothing" he muttered, "…I mean, uh, you're right. I'm not used to it." he went for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded before he could escape.

"Uh, breakfast?" he turned to her with what he hoped was an innocent look.

"No you don't." she got up from underneath the sheets, "Today you relax and I'll make you breakfast in bed!" she went on to exclaim happily.

"But I'm already up…" Jet argued, he looked at the doorknob and then back at the girl standing in the middle of the room with her dress all wrinkled from sleeping in it. Sleeping all night right next to him, cuddling against his side, her small hand resting upon his chest clutching the fabric of his shirt as she dreamt…

Jet averted his gaze and stared intensely at the wall left of him. Focus seemed very much out of reach at the moment.

_Jeez, I must've hit my head harder than I thought yesterday…_

He looked at the doorknob again. If he made a run for it…

"No buts!" Virginia said with great determination, "It's your birthday and you're going to eat breakfast in bed whether you like it or not!" She stomped her foot down and Jet's feet hurt out of habit.

As any successful drifter Jet knew when to wave the white flag. The casualties would have been far too great should he have persisted…

"Well, I guess even you couldn't possibly screw up something as simple as breakfast…" he thought out aloud. Virginia looked scandalized, "What? You know just as well as I do your cooking sucks."

"Yes! But still, it's not a very nice thing to say!" the girl placed her hands on her hips and shot him a very accusatory glare.

"I'm just being honest" the boy shrugged.

"That's what all mean people say…" she claimed walking past him over to the door. Jet followed her with his gaze. She stopped once before leaving, looking back at him with an evil grin, "Maybe I should do something really special? How about a breakfast omelet? There's egg in that, right? And since it's breakfast I guess you could add some Cornflakes and… hey, do you think porridge would burn if you cook it in a frying pan?"

She watched Jet grow pale in the face.

"Please, no trouble for my sake." he suddenly sounded very humble. Virginia could be heard laughing all the way down to the kitchen.

As soon as the door closed the young drifter fell back down onto his mattress. If the rest of the day continued in the same direction it was going to be a trying day indeed.

"'That's what friends and family do.'" he muttered to himself, repeating Virginia's words from the day before. "'I'm only doing it 'cause of you.'" he went on repeating words of his own. Where the hell had that come from? Doing it… for Virginia?

For a moment there he had thought she had been shot. That she had died or was dying, bleeding on the floor because he hadn't been there to help her. What was it Virginia had said when she laid eyes upon his wounded cheek?

_"If you died……I…I'd cry. I would be so sad I…I don't know what I'd do."_

Was that how he had felt? How he would have felt? Opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling Jet couldn't help but feel lost. What was it like to cry? He couldn't really remember ever doing it nor feeling the need for it.

The idea of someone else crying over him was also a completely new one.

Moving to a sitting position to keep from falling asleep again his eyes suddenly focused on something shiny on Virginia's bed, sticking out from underneath her pillow and a small pile of clothing that covered it.

Moving over he carefully removed the clothes one item at a time and lifted the pillow. Underneath was a very colorful package of some kind. It was the golden bow on the side that had caught his attention. There was a small note stuck to it that read "Happy Birthday Jet" in Virginia's handwriting.

Jet stared down at the strange package.

_Happy…?_

.

xxxxx

.

Preparing breakfast went well, mainly because it was something she did almost every morning anyway and of course because it required very little actual cooking.

Still, she managed to spill some milk on her dress when Gallows came by and asked how she had done to finally get inside Jet's pants. Without being asked he then went on to speculate for himself. Most of his guesses involved some kind of alcohol, mild sedative or personality altering drug.

He left again when Virginia asked why he was so interested. Perhaps he was after the contents of Jet's pants as well?

Giving the tray one last look over Virginia lit the candle she had placed beside the plate of toast.

_Juice, coffee, bowl of cereals, toast, apple…_

It would have to do. Nothing too grand but it was just breakfast for crying out loud. It wasn't like he was used to anything better. And besides he still had the cake to look forward to. Except maybe "look forward to" weren't the right words here… more like "await with dread".

Virginia exhaled a sigh of despair. What was it with Jet that completely shattered her confidence?

She scaled the stairs slowly careful not to tip the tray. Then there was the whole birthday present problem. Still very much unsolved after finding only an unconscious Jet and several boxes of cheese at Gob's Hideout. Well, there was always the backup-present in her room even though it wasn't exactly what she had had in mind.

_But on the bright side, _Virginia thought as she reached the door,_ I got to sleep next to him! He didn't even seem all that annoyed. Too bad I was really asleep all the time, though…_

She pushed the door open with her foot.

Standing by the edge of her bed Jet snapped into attention as she entered the room. She wasn't entirely sure but she thought she had seen the pillow move as if it had just been dropped into place. Virginia narrowed her eyes; incidentally that was right where she had hid her present. Jet looked very guilty. Then her gaze shifted slightly to the side as she caught glimpse of something else.

"…What's that in your hand?" she wondered after a brief moment of heavy silence.

"Huh?" Jet followed her gaze to his right hand that was gripping some random item of clothing. His eyes widened in horror as he realized what the silky fabric between his fingers really was. Beads of nervous sweat began forming on his brow. "It…" he felt choked, "it's a bra."

Virginia stared at him for a moment and Jet's blush darkened by the second.

"Does my underwear interest you, Jet?" she finally asked putting the tray down onto a chair beside the door.

"I was-" he began explaining with a panicky expression, "I was just checking it to see if the…uh, hook-thingy was made out of gold. Turns out it wasn't… must've just been the light playing tricks on my eyes."

It was an excuse of questionable believability.

Again she felt the need to simply stare at him for a moment before she spoke again. Jet didn't very much care for this.

"…That was the best excuse you could come up with?" she sounded very unconvinced.

"Well, you didn't give me much time." he complained, "And besides it wasn't that bad. I can see myself doing that." Jet managed to shrug away some of his embarrassment.

"You'd look for gold on a girl's underwear?" the moment she asked this she realized it was a stupid question. She could also very well picture him doing just that.

"It's a good reason to look."

"No. It's weird, sad reason."

"Whatever…" the boy looked away for a moment. Then he realized he was still holding the piece of clothing in his hand. He looked at it for a moment with a thoughtful expression before he spoke again, "Do you really need one of these anyway?" he wondered looking over at his female friend.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" the girl sent him an indignant glare.

Jet grinned evilly. Virginia wasn't the only one who could strike below the belt.

He casually tossed the piece of clothing back onto the pile, pretending he hadn't just been caught with her bra in his hand.

"Hmpf." Virginia wasn't going to let him off that easily, "So, do you want to check the one I'm wearing too? I have to change dress anyway…"

"W-What!?" Jet looked positively shocked. He took a step back and nearly stumbled stepping off his mattress.

"Who knows, you might just strike gold." the girl could no longer stifle the laughter bubbling up from her stomach. His eyes were darting across the room looking for a way to escape.

"I…I'll be out on the balcony." he finally muttered in defeat.

"Oh, you'll watch from there?" Virginia couldn't stop giggling. She felt slightly bad for teasing him in such a shameless manner. He could be so innocent and naive at times.

Jet gave her a cross look and then fled out through the balcony door, silently cursing himself for letting her get to him.

He winced as the door closed behind him with an unintended loud thud. What was her problem anyway, teasing him like that?

Leaning onto the wooden railing in the morning sun Jet couldn't help but blush at certain images his mind conjured. It would seem Gallows had rubbed off on him more than he was willing to accept.

And what about the birthday present? Why had he felt so strange looking at the colorful package with his name carefully written on it? So a girl had bought him a present. Big deal. It's not like it meant anything. If he understood the concept of birthdays correctly you pretty much _had to_ buy presents. It was an obligation, nothing else.

And what the hell was he doing getting all jittery for, anyway?

Jet bowed his head and closed his eyes. The small symphony of birds played on and merged with the sounds of the awakening town as he struggled with his confusing thoughts and feelings.

"…Do I like her?" he whispered after a while, "Is that it?"

No one answered.

.

xxxxx

.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon passed relatively smoothly without any larger mishaps. When Virginia was done changing Jet finally had his breakfast. In bed as promised.

Leaving the bedroom and entering the living room downstairs, he soon found himself the unwanted center of attention and on the receiving end of a number of loud congratulations from his teammates as well as uncle Tesla and aunt Shalte.

At one point during the day Virginia came up to him with one of her aunt's larger sun hats, claiming it was a ceremonial birthday hat and that Jet should wear it. None too surprisingly he politely declined.

Gallows had been unusually calm and pleasant most of the time despite the first-rate teasing material he had stumbled upon earlier that morning. Perhaps it was out of respect for the occasion or more likely: because he was busy planning something.

However he couldn't help but ask if the Band-Aid on Jet's cheek was the result of some kind of kinky game the two roommates had engaged in. Virginia was tempted to say yes just to witness the reaction. Jet told him it was a cheese-related accident.

The party, if one could really call it that, officially started after Tesla and Shalte had left their house some time around dinner with the explanation that the youngsters should party on their own. Jet received his first birthday presents ever and went on to open them with a strange feeling of anxiety. He didn't very much care for the fact he had no idea of what to expect. Just look happy, was the advice Virginia had given him. And he would try, as he had said earlier, for her even though the concept still seemed kind of foreign to him.

From Clive he received a neatly wrapped, rectangular package that contained a newly released book on the geography of Filgaia. Judging by the excited voice of the sniper as he explained the contents of the book and the groundbreaking way in which the author had gathered the facts, it was a great piece of literature. Jet somehow doubted he was the right person for it, however.

The gift from Gallows wasn't nearly as neatly packed as Clive's and turned out to be some deodorant, a round bottle of some obscure and very strong liquor and a rather risqué picture of a woman.

Later that evening Virginia "accidentally" set fire to this photo. While she wanted Jet to learn how to appreciate the female body it did not necessarily mean the bodies of other women. She also asked Gallows where he had purchased the deodorant. As it turned out it was the kind he himself used and he always carried an extra couple of bottles around with him.

As for the picture, she didn't want to know where it had come from.

When it was time for Virginia's present she had a hard time building up the nerve to hand it to him. When she finally did Jet took a moment to examine the colorful package, the largest one of the three, and reading the short note again. Clueless as he might have been, he had still somehow managed to pick up on the fact that she was nervous.

He carefully removed the wrapping and opened the cardboard box underneath. He silently studied the holster for a while with an expressionless face that had Virginia biting her bottom lip. When he looked at her again she was nervously toying with her hair. He smiled but the expression looked more out of place than truly grateful.

Virginia looked uncertain.

"Thanks, Virginia" he said earnestly but not without a certain awkwardness that came due to his inexperience in the field of thankfulness, "I like the uh… golden flowers." he moved his finger over the embroidery.

Now Virginia smiled back. She wasn't certain if she completely believed his gratitude. But the fact he tried was enough to make her want to kiss him. Then again, these days it took very little to make her want to do that…

In retrospect she felt silly for worrying so much. Sure, Jet wasn't always nice but he was also rarely consciously mean. At least not when you got to know him.

And besides, if things worked out the way she hoped this wouldn't be the last birthday they spent together. Next time she would make sure to start planning way ahead.

With the presents opened Gallows declared it was time to drink and opened up the first bottle of wine. Many were to follow before the end of that day.

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* * *

The plot feels kind of unfocused. It sort of turned out like a "day in the life of…" kind of story…

Except of course it covers two days.


	7. Chapter7

This chapter was kinda delayed 'cause I got sick and the sheer thought of sitting in front of a computer made my head explode (I got better).

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Chapter 7

After the feast Shalte had insisted on preparing before she and her husband left, the cake Virginia had baked the day before was brought out of the refrigerator under loud cheers from an at that point already quite intoxicated Gallows. Virginia lit a number of candles stuck to the cake.

It was a very abstract piece of pastry to say the least, not quite round in the shape and a surface that was an uneven landscape of whipped cream mountains and valleys. The whole cake seemed to lean slightly and the slant looked even larger in contrast to the candles that stood straight upward.

Virginia made it a point to mention it had not looked that way when she had put it away the day before. Somehow it must've had sagged and more or less collapsed under its own weight. When asked to explain why a cake would behave like that Clive failed to come up with any plausible explanations with the excuse that desserts were not really his field of science.

The skewed cake was placed on the center of the table in front of Jet. He was told that it was customary for the birthday boy/girl/android to try and extinguish all of the candles in one single breath of air. If this was accomplished a wish he was supposed to make prior to the extinguishing would come true.

Despite finding the whole concept of wishing quite silly Jet asked for a powerful gold attracting magnet. It had been a close call between that and a gag for Gallows who hadn't shut up since the first drop of alcoholic beverage found its way down his throat.

Since it was his birthday he was then served the first piece. Virginia gave him an extra large one. He studied it warily looking for ingredients that didn't belong there or other things the not so talented, much feared chef might have put in there. The fact he didn't find anything only made him more nervous. Past experiences had taught him that nothing Virginia cooked ever tasted the way it should. She knew this as well and yet she had gone ahead and baked a cake. Jet wondered why. Was it her way of punishing him for something?

Looking up he caught everyone watching at him expectantly. No one had touched their piece of the dessert yet. They obviously wanted him to try it first. Was this also some kind of custom or were they simply afraid to taste it without guarantees of its safety?

Jet wondered if this certain element of suspense was common for birthdays.

Then, with the expression of a soldier sent out to cross an uncharted mine field on a pogo stick, he brought the spoon to his mouth. Fighting the urge to close his eyes and say a prayer he steeled himself and took a bite.

Utter silence ensued. Jet finally did close his eyes and didn't see Virginia nervously chewing on her bottom lip.

"Um…" the nervous girl broke the silence, "It probably tastes horrible, right?" she looked down at the plate before her. "I guess it was silly of me to think I could bake a cake…"

Out on the field it was actually Clive who did most of the cooking. As with most things he approached the task in a very much scientific way and while his food was edible the lack of love and passion in the way it was prepared prevented it from ever becoming more than just filling for empty stomachs.

With Virginia's it was the exact opposite. The little factual knowledge she possessed was substituted for with great affection and devotion for the task.

Unfortunately affection and devotion alone were seldom enough.

"You don't have to eat it, Jet. We can just throw it away…" she sighed, momentarily overcome by a feeling of uselessness.

"It's not that bad" replied Jet and ate another spoonful. Virginia jaw dropped open. "I've had worse" the white haired boy shrugged.

Not… bad? she stared, utterly speechless, at Jet as he ate yet another piece.

"He's right" the voice of Clive snapped her out of her awe, "While the consistency is a bit… peculiar the taste is actually not bad."

"You… You're not just saying that to be nice are you?" she looked her three teammates around the table.

"Come on Ginny, does Jet ever say things just to be nice?" Gallows spoke with a mouth full of dessert.

"Damn straight I don't" Jet concurred with a great sense of pride.

Tentatively tasting her own culinary creation Virginia looked honestly astounded at the unusually pleasant taste that spread throughout her mouth. Her look roused great laughter from the noisy Baskar until he nearly choked on a piece of cake and the laughter gave away into coughing.

"…Must be the power of love, man" he spoke with a hoarse voice as the coughing finally died out. "It's the only force in the world powerful enough to turn our Ginny into a master chef" he laughed some more, oblivious to what he had just revealed.

"Love?" repeated Jet with a quirked eyebrow. All the color had drained from Virginia's face. Clive cleared his throat, looking sternly at the Baskar.

"Oh" said Gallows, "of course." he turned to look at his white haired friend, "I shouldn't talk about it" he stage-whispered across the table so that every one could very well hear. Then he gave the puzzled birthday boy one of the most obvious winks in the history of that particular facial movement.

Virginia hid her face in her hands. This was definitely not the way she wanted Jet to learn of her feelings! Curse Gallows and his alcoholism!

Jet stared at the Baskar for a moment with an expression that said nothing of his thoughts. Then he shrugged.

"Whatever…" he took a sip of wine, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Virginia let go of the breath she'd been holding. Fortunately you could always count on Jet's ignorance.

.

xxxxx

.

People tend to react differently to alcohol. While some people seem to find happiness in drunkenness others experience only depression and sadness. Some people grow restless, violent or paranoid while other become simply talkative and loud.

Of the drifter quartet Virginia and Gallows were happy drunks, the latter more frequently than the former.

Clive, the eldest and perhaps most experienced of the four, was best described as a sober drunk, absorbing alcohol with little side effects except maybe for one; his tongue loosened and he could speak for hours on end. But then, even that wasn't such a great difference from his sober self.

Jet, on the other hand, reacted even less. Sober or not, he always remained Jet. In other words: he was an insensitive and mean drunk.

"…I love you, man, seriously." Gallows slurred and gesticulated toward the younger man across the table from him. The contents of each glass he downed seemed to make him increasingly emotional. Jet was relieved the table was in between them. "You're like a little brother to me…" he went on, "…my second one. And you are my third, Clive" the Baskar looked over at the sniper.

"I'm older than you" Clive remarked.

"Whatever" replied Gallows, "Heh, I sound like Jet… …what was I talking about again?"

"You were telling Jet how much you love him." the sniper reminded him. If looks could kill the one Jet sent him then might very well have been the end of him.

"Oh yeah" the Baskar slurred, "I love you, man…I really…do" he downed another glass of wine, "You're like a little brother to me"

Jet was experiencing the beginnings of a great headache.

.

xxxxx

.

An hour or so before midnight, just after Gallows' suggestion that they go out and dance the night away had been voted down for the simple reason that there wasn't even an INN in the small town of Boot Hill, let alone a dance club, Virginia was starting to feel slightly impatient.

Jet had miraculously misunderstood the Baskar's blatant revelation from earlier and as relieved as she had been then she was already planning for ways to tell him herself.

It wouldn't be an easy task.

She would have to spell it out, that much was certain. Paint some explanatory pictures. Maybe draw some parallels between love and treasure hunting or something else he could relate to…

She would have laughed except those were the best ideas she'd come up with so far.

'Whatever' and 'I have no idea what you're talking about' weren't exactly the answers you wanted when you confessed your feelings for someone. But even Jet couldn't possibly be that ignorant? Not if she spelled it out. Could he?

"…and then, much to our collective surprise, we found traces of another mineral, one which you would not expect to find under those particular conditions…" Clive was in the midst of retelling one of his exciting adventures as an archeological assistant. Gallows had already stopped listening and started telling a story of his own bragging about his conquests with the female sex at a bar in some town. Jet was desperately trying to block out both of their voices.

He had contemplated drinking himself into a state of near unconsciousness but someone else seemed to be emptying his glass every time he wasn't paying attention. As far as he was concerned everyone was a potential suspect.

Well, maybe Gallows more than the others.

At a number of times during the evening he found his thoughts, without his consent, drifting toward Virginia. He remembered with surprising clarity how she had looked the day before, watching over him with those concerned eyes as he woke up from his fall. His head had been cradled in her lap and she had been softly caressing his face.

In his state of daze he had even gone as far as to admitting her beauty. Only to himself of course. But even though it was a confession he had shared only with himself and in a state of slight confusion he simply couldn't renounce it. Lying to yourself isn't always easy.

Virginia _was_ beautiful. She had always been and he _had_ recognized this the first time they met; he was the owner of two functioning eyes after all. But to actually admit it, voicing it if only in thought, was like crossing a wooden bridge with various tools of destruction, most preferably gasoline and matches, as well as a deep, burning contempt for structures that enable you to cross over inaccessible terrain such as water and rifts in the earth. It opened up for a barrage of further questions he wasn't equipped to answer yet couldn't ignore.

If someone else had claimed she was beautiful he would have understood. But coming from him it seemed unbecoming and out of place. As if he was using words he didn't fully understand.

And she had used the word cute to describe him. That was also a first.

Glancing to his side where the girl sat their eyes met. Jet opened his mouth to speak. At the very same time so did Virginia.

"Virginia-"

"Jet-"

And so there was awkward silence. Gallow, Clive, everyone.

Virginia blushed and Jet sported first a comic look of disbelief when he realized he had actually spoken and then he frowned.

"…Maybe we should leave the two of you alone for a moment?" Clive wondered carefully, breaking the silence that had become heavy enough cut with a knife.

"I need some fresh air" Jet declared suddenly and rose from his seat.

"Can I come too?" Virginia wondered.

"Why are you asking me? Do what you want, I'm not your boss." the boy shrugged indifferently.

"I just thought maybe you wanted to be alone…" Virginia made sure to sound innocent, "That's what you really wanted, wasn't it?" she looked at him with the same puppy-dog eyes she had used on her parents as a child in order to get her way.

Jet sighed.

"Well, now I'm saying do what you want." he muttered and started for the door.

"Great" Virginia said and rose to follow him, leaving Clive and Gallows alone by the table.

The two men silently followed her with their eyes as she made her way across the small room to join Jet outside. Gallows was the first to speak again as soon as the couple was out of earshot.

"…Young love…" he sighed wistfully.

"Indeed" the sniper concurred, "…you know, you're not that old yourself."

"It's not age that matters, it's experience." the Baskar explained.

"Oh"

"So, how about a little betting?" he turned to face his older teammate with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He suddenly didn't seem that very drunk. "I think they'll share a kiss tonight, care to wager against?"

The bespectacled man thought for a moment. It seemed like a good deal, Jet wasn't exactly someone you expected to partake in such an activity. But then again, Virginia could be very persuasive…

"Well, why not?" Clive shrugged, "…just one question: how will we know who wins?"

Gallows looked utterly taken aback by the question.

"Clive, Clive, Clive…" he sighed, "Were you dropped on your head as a baby? We're going to spy of course!"

.

* * *

I had previously estimated this to be the last chapter but as you might have noticed so is not the case. But we're getting closer, although I have no idea how to end it.


	8. Chapter8

At last the final chapter. Took a while to write 'cause lately I've been kind of short on ideas and motivation… Or as you could also put it: I've been lazy.

.

Chapter 8

Staring at nothing in particular somewhere off in the distance Jet tried his best to act unaware of the girl beside him. Unaware of how close she stood, nearly brushing against his side, and unaware of how her close proximity effected his heartbeat.

It worked pretty well until she finally spoke.

"…Were you about to say something back there?" Virginia wondered. Her voice sounded unusually apprehensive and in the corner of his eyes he could see her watching him with an expression of curiosity.

"I was just trying to get out of there." Jet replied leaving certain other reasons out, "Those two talk too much." he nodded back toward the house behind them.

"Oh. I see" the girl's response was simple but not without a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"…what about you?" Jet wondered after a moment of silence. He told himself it was only in an effort to keep the conversation alive and not out of actual curiosity. But that really didn't make much sense since he hated conversations and was more likely to kill than to keep one alive.

"I was going to ask you if you wanted to go for a walk with me" Virginia answered truthfully. Then of course there were the things she had planned to say when they finally were alone…

"And here we are. Lucky you." Jet didn't quite sound like he meant it.

"Yep" she smiled nonetheless.

Again the two drifters fell back into silence. Normally Jet would have welcomed this with relief, especially after just having gone through several hours of verbal torture at the hands, well mouths really, of Gallows and Clive. But that particular night the silence felt unusually heavy, almost suffocating. It was as if the air around them was so crowded with unspoken words that there was really no space left to breathe.

For Jet it was a frightening experience considering that silence was one of the few things he actually enjoyed in life. Or admitted to enjoy, anyway.

"Ok. What's wrong?" he finally couldn't help himself, "Why are you being so quiet?"

"I thought you liked quiet?" Virginia wondered innocently.

"Well yeah but this is just making me uneasy. I mean for you, this isn't normal behavior. And when you're dealing with crazy, unpredictable people anything but normalcy is frightening." Jet claimed irritably, "You're making me nervous."

Virginia couldn't help but giggle, "You wanna hear my voice, is that what you're trying to say?" she looked at him with large blue eyes and a big white grin. Despite her honest intentions she simply couldn't pass on the chance to tease him a little.

"I'm saying thanks to you I'm all screwed up. I can't take silence anymore 'cause I'm so freakin' used to you babbling all the time." he sighed, overcome by the tiring sense of pointlessness that he associated with arguing with Virginia.

"So I've finally gotten to you, huh?" the girl teased, moving to lean her back up against him. Jet disappointed her by immediately taking a step back and avoiding any prolonged closeness.

"Do you have to do that?" he asked, avoiding her gaze by looking off to his left.

"Do what?" the girl asked, beginning to feel dejected by his cold behavior.

"You know, turn everything I say into some sort of romantic crap?" Jet returned to look at her. His face displayed very little emotion aside from a mild annoyance that was really more in his voice.

"...Isn't it up to me how I interpret your words?" Virginia sulked, refusing to meet his eyes.

Jet shrugged, "Well, just don't come crying to me when you get disappointed"

The conversation yet again gave away into silence as both parties stared off into the night, simply ignoring each other's presence while going through the dialogue once again in their heads.

Aside from the sound of crickets and the ruffle of leaves from a nearby tree the night was calm and quiet. Light flooded out from the windows of the house behind them and on the porch a small lamp was lit. Stars spotted the cloudless sky and a near full moon provided light where that of the house didn't reach.

Eventually Virginia gathered enough courage to break the silence with a question that weighed heavy on her mind, especially after the preceding dialogue.

"…So you really don't like me at all?" the girl spoke with a quiet yet steady voice.

Jet stared at her for a moment.

"That…uh, that's beside the point." he then claimed none too convincingly.

"What? How's that beside the point?" Virginia wondered. "Wasn't that what we were talking about?"

"It's beside the point 'cause I don't wanna talk about it!" the boy snapped.

"Oh that's really mature…" she rolled with her eyes. Jet scowled.

"Ok fine." he sighed angrily, "But I'm telling you this for my own peace of mind only, understand?" Virginia nodded her head in affirmation and Jet continued, "It's been bugging me for a while now… …It's not completely impossible, ok?"

"Not impossible…? What do you mean?" she watched him with growing curiosity.

Jet gave her a tortured look. Of course she would have him explain. Why should things ever be easy?

"My insight on… uh, feelings and stuff isn't exactly great, I'm aware of that." he began hesitantly, still thinking of how to express himself, "In fact, it's probably the exact opposite of great… uh, really bad. But what I'm saying is that it's not entirely impossible that I… I like you a slight bit more than the… uh, average girl…" Jet watched as Virginia brightened, "But you know, my initial response to most people is a mild form of despise so you shouldn't take it too-" before he could finish the sentence she lunged at him and he suddenly found himself locked in a tight embrace.

Taken very much by surprise he was forced to take a step back in order keep his balance as the girl clung tightly to his body.

"What a roundabout way of telling someone how you feel." she spoke into his chest and her voice was slightly muffled by his shirt, "For someone who doesn't talk much you sure have a way with words, Jet"

The young drifter awkwardly tried to shift in her embrace.

"Hey, um… aren't you overreacting a bit?" he wondered carefully, not certain how to respond to the sudden act of affection. Sure, he had just admitted the possible existence of fonder feelings toward her but he had also done so in an almost painfully hesitant way. Wasn't she perhaps reading too much in his words? Relying a bit too much on her amazing ability to read romantic undertones so secret he himself had no idea of them in everything he said?

Virginia shook her head lightly and her hair brushed against his nose.

"I really, really, really like you Jet, I-I think more than anyone." the words came surprisingly easily and before she knew it the entire sentence was pronounced. She blushed as the confession replayed in her head. "I-I'm not overreacting…right?" she nearly pleaded.

Looking at the nervous girl Jet felt his throat tightening around his answer. A voice inside his head dared him to say 'yes' just to show that he was still able to.

"M-Maybe not." he stuttered, embarrassed to relent in such an uncharacteristic fashion. Then, with a strange sense of distance, the young drifter felt his arms twitch into hesitant movement. Without much to say in the matter he watched as one of them came to rest gently around Virginia's waist. His other hand hovered over her head for a moment before carefully landing in her soft, brown hair.

With a sigh of relief the girl relaxed in his arms. Jet doubted he could do the same. Although he managed to take some comfort in the fact that she shouldn't be able to see his blush with her face nuzzled against his chest.

.

xxxxx

.

After having climbed out through a kitchen window on the backside and silently circled the house under the cover of darkness, Gallows and Clive spotted their two younger teammates standing on the front lawn.

The conversation was only partially audible at best but the two spies didn't dare to move closer in fear of being discovered. There was no telling what torture Jet and Virginia might subject them to if they were caught spying. Especially if they saw something they weren't supposed to see…

Gallows grinned wildly in the darkness, just as he did in the face of danger. These were the things he lived for. Aside from the money he would get from Clive if the two kissed it would also be greatly amusing to watch how Jet reacted to the advances their leader was bound to make on him. There were few things as entertaining as watching Jet in situations where a sense of romance was required.

For Virginia's sake he truly hoped for a positive response but he had to admit to himself that watching Jet panic would be a great deal more amusing.

"Clive," he whispered to his partner in crime, "Climb that tree. You'll get a better view from there."

"What?" the green haired sniper questioned. "Are you really sure that's a good idea? I've been drinking, I might fall off." his eyes traveled from the tree and back to his teammate with a doubtful look.

"What's that? Are you questioning me?" the Baskar looked scandalized, "Who do you think has the most experience in undercover work of this kind? You or me, Clive? You or me?"

"…How is that related to me being drunk?"

"Clive. You'll be fine. Besides, I've had more to drink than you and one of us HAS to climb the tree."

"But why? I can see them just fine from down here."

"There you go again, questioning me even though I'm clearly the more experienced one of us."

"Well I don't know about that… I'll have you know that in my youth-"

"Just climb the tree, Clive."

.

xxxxx

.

When the embrace ended Jet spent an awkward moment examining his shoes before he dared to glance back up at the brunette he had moments earlier held in his arms. He was treading on painfully unknown territory now… well actually he had been for quite a while already. But what would one usually do or say after having so obviously displayed ones affection? What could he do now when denial was no longer an option?

The most logical course of action would be to learn more about his feelings so that the awkward uncertainty that plagued his every action might finally give away. If he knew how deep his affections truly ran that might clear the clouds of doubt from his mind.

But of course, just as with so many other things, that was a great deal easier said than done.

_Learn more about my feelings, huh? I can't believe I'm thinking all this…_

Virginia kept smiling at him with a very much content look on her face as if she had just received a grand prize of some sort.

_I can't believe…_

"Yesterday…" Jet found himself speaking, "In Gob's Hideout when I was in the other room…" there was a strange moment when he suddenly came to realize what he was about to say and part of him really wanted to stop. But that part was apparently no longer a majority, "I thought you got shot…" his voice momentarily faded as he yet again recalled the moment.

Virginia watched him silently as he tried to gather his thoughts into words. It was rare to hear him speak for any other reason than necessity. It was clear he wanted to get something off his chest.

"I've been trying to figure it out but it's so hard to say what I was feeling at the moment 'cause it was so much at the same time." he glanced at her with uncertain eyes that silently implored her to help him understand. "But I guess it was mostly… fear." he concluded himself, lowering his gaze in shame.

"Jet…" Virginia spoke quietly with a growing urge to hug him again. She reached over and took his hand.

"It bothered me 'cause I don't usually feel that way, " he stared at their joined hands with something distant in his eyes, "at least not that… intensely."

"…So you've been wondering what it means?" the drifter girl guessed.

Jet looked back up at her face again.

"…Yeah" he acknowledged, "I'm pretty bad when it comes to knowing these things… and admitting them I guess." he smiled to himself, thinking it was an understatement.

"You're doing a pretty good job so far." Virginia gave him an affectionate smile and squeezed his hand.

Jet looked doubtful.

"You think?" for some reason he felt a sudden need to lighten the mood, "It must be the alcohol then…"

"What!?" Virginia released her grip on his hand, "You're telling me the confession I've been waiting for all this time was just drunk talk!?" she exclaimed with feigned indignation, "And here I thought it was my beautiful looks and winning personality that made you say it…" she deliberately trailed off on a sad note.

"Well, maybe the looks had _something_ to do with it…" Jet offered, "But the personality…?" he looked skeptical.

"Excuse me? Oh, and you're the one to talk Mr. 'I'm only nice to people when it suits me'."

"I see nothing wrong with that"

"Well, you better be nice to me from now on…" Virginia threatened but could no longer keep from grinning. Neither could Jet. "…So was it really that bad?" she asked after a moment had passed.

"Huh?" Jet wasn't quite sure what she meant by that. Was she talking about the hug or his earlier admission, the day in whole or…?

"Your first birthday." she clarified, "Was it just as bad as you'd pictured it? Did it really kill you to spend some time with your friends?"

"Well, I'm not dead so obviously it wasn't _that_ bad."

"Really?" Virginia raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I suppose as long as it's only once a year I could grow to get used to it…"

"Well you know, birthdays aren't the only festivities you spend together with friends and family…"

"...There's more?"

.

xxxxx

.

As Clive boldly scaled higher up the tree to reach the suitable branch he had picked as his goal, many a things were happening on the ground. Looking down moments earlier he had caught Gallows doing a silent dance of excitement as their two younger teammates off by the house had suddenly embraced. He was undoubtedly thinking of all the money heading his way if things continued to escalate in the same direction.

Truthfully Clive was happy for Virginia. Sure, his economy would suffer quite a blow if the couple indeed did kiss but what the hell, the girl deserved it. It could probably do Jet some good as well to discover the other sides of life beside treasure hunting.

Returning to silently curse himself for letting Gallows lure him into betting and then into climbing the stupid tree, the sniper turned to look at their leader and the white haired gunman standing on the edge of light in front of the large house. The curses died on his lips and were replaced by a fatherly smile that was kind of silly given the fact he wasn't really old enough to be their parent. He wondered briefly if "adorable" was an appropriate word to describe the hugging teenagers. Jet would definitely protest to the wording.

The embrace ended and the couple seemed to continue their conversation but the select few words that reached his ears made little sense.

Commencing his climb again so that Gallows wouldn't yell at him, Clive reached for the next branch in within his range. So far his ascent had been unproblematic save for the occasional twig in the face, and he was starting to feel more confident in his tree climbing abilities.

As his hands reached the thick branch from where he had planned to watch the scene play out before him sitting comfortably against the trunk of the tree, the voice of Jet suddenly reached him, uttering a word that immediately seized his attention. Somewhere below him he heard Gallows gasp. This was it.

Then, in the midst of the excitement, a furry flash shot out from a hole in the tree leaping onto his arm. With a silent shriek Clive instinctively pushed away with his legs and started shaking his arm to rid himself of his attacker. The fact that he was perched up in a large tree didn't dawn to him until he was already falling toward the ground.

.

xxxxx

.

"…So what happens now?" Jet wondered and couldn't help but feel stupid and inexperienced for asking.

"Um, there's something I would like to do…" Virginia turned her gaze down at her feet, "…but we don't have to if you don't want to…" drawing circles in the dirt with the tip of her shoe, she tried her best not to blush, "…I would like a kiss."

"A-A kiss?" Jet repeated with some trouble controlling the volume of his voice. Then a muffled sound escaped the tree behind them. Both drifters turned their heads just in time to see Clive drop down from within the leaves. The green haired man hit the ground with a loud thud. A ring of dust spread from the point of impact.

A short moment of confused silence ensued.

"…What the hell?" Jet asked at the end of it. The end of the silence that was, not the confusion.

Setting off toward their friend both young drifters asked themselves the very same question:_ Why was he in the tree?_

"Clive? Are you ok?" Virginia asked as she reached the fallen sniper but before he could answer Gallows suddenly appeared from out of nowhere.

"You did that on purpose didn't you!?" The Baskar tribesman accused angrily. "That's it, the bet's off! Outside interference, man!"

"Yes Gallows. I fell off the tree on purpose." Clive sighed, slowly sitting up while rubbing the side of his head with one hand. "I was attacked by-"

"Aha! He confessed!" Gallows exclaimed victoriously.

"Bet? What bet?" Virginia wondered.

Suddenly everyone turned awfully quiet.

"Uh, did you say bet? I didn't say bet, I said…vet!" Gallows said with some trouble adjusting the speed of his voice, "Yes, we're taking Clive's horse to the vet!" he sounded strangely triumphant considering how utterly useless a lie it was

"Gallows… Don't lie when you're drunk" the sniper advised.

"A bet? Was there money involved?" Jet suddenly caught interest in the conversation. Virginia gave him a not so pleased look.

"Of course there was money involved." The Baskar explained.

"I see…" said Virginia and her eyes narrowed threateningly, "Would you mind telling us more about the conditions of this little wager…?"

Most of the color already gone from his face, Gallows began frantically searching for a believable excuse. But alas, Clive was right, he simply wasn't sober enough for the task. Hell, even then it would have been quite a challenge.

"Be a man, just tell the truth…" muttered Clive with the tone of someone already resigned to his fate.

"You're right." the large man sighed, "We made a bet whether or not you'd kiss tonight." he bowed his head in shame hoping it might lessen his punishment.

Jet started coughing. Virginia didn't look all that surprised.

"Hmm…So who bet on what?" She looked at Clive then back at Gallows.

"Uh," said Gallows, not quite sure where this was going and why there had been so little anger and punishment so far. "I said you'd kiss and Clive said you wouldn't"

"You bet against us!?" Virginia turned to Clive, "That's mean."

"I apologize, but if we both bet on the same result there wouldn't really be much point in it…"

"Hmpf!" Virginia turned around and grasped a hold of Jet's hand, "That's it. Come on Jet, let's go back to our room. And for all you know" she glared back at the two older team members, "we might kiss all night long. But that's the beauty of it: you won't really know."

"We might?" Jet asked, looking slightly startled by the idea._ And when did it become OUR room?_

"Oh, c'mon Ginny, have a heart!" Gallows pleaded. "Help a guy earn some money"

"Might I advise you to give it a rest before she changes her mind and beats us for spying?" wondered Clive. He sounded like a man who had just caught a glimpse but tried his best not to let it show.

Virginia ignored both of them, "Let's go Jet." she started dragging him toward the house.

"Jet, my man!" Gallows refused to give up just yet, "You of all people should understand the importance that we know. A bet's a bet. There's money involved here." he exclaimed, making sure to put extra weight on the magic word: "money" as well as rubbing his index finger and thumb together in the familiar sign for the word.

"Do I get a share?" asked the white-haired drifter.

"JET!" Virginia did NOT sound pleased.

.

xxxxx

.

The two drifters disappeared through the door. Virginia more or less dragging Jet behind her although both Clive and Gallows could clearly see the boy wasn't struggling nearly as much as one would expect.

"…Nice going there." the Baskar sat down on the ground next to the sniper, "Now we'll never know who won."

"It was never my intention to ruin the moment. But you see, I was attacked by a pack of vicious squirrels..." the sniper tried his best to explain.

Gallows gave him an odd look.

"Wow, you need to lay off the booze, man. Seriously."

.

The End

.

* * *

There you go. A kind of cliched ending I guess what with the last second interruption and all but I couldn't resist.

Thanks for all the reviews.


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